Youngling of Light
by A and A Pikachu Prime
Summary: It all started on a normal day for both mechs.  Being kicked out of the Energon stop run by a mech named Quicksnap for one, and being beaten nearly to death for the other.  But life has a strange way of messing with things that are "normal".
1. Meeting The Bots

A fist connected with the under-side of his jaw and sent the youngling crashing into the wall. He struggled to his pedes, but didn't manage to as a pede struck his side. A whimper left his damaged lip plates and blue tears made of Energon slipped down his face. He was kicked time and time again as the mech standing over him spat and swore at him. He didn't cry out when his metal gave in and dented with each hit. A sharp pain shot through his side as the mech did as he wanted and managed to cut into the soft proto-form beneath. Finally darkness drapped it's comforting wings over him and he let it claim him.

Elsewhere, a bulky red mech took another swig of high-grade with a laugh. The control on what left his lip plates went slack and he spouted off whatever came to mind. He wasn't sure what he said, but a silver mech suddenly swung out and caught him in the face. He went down still laughing and shakily tried to get back on his pedes. The other mech grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him out the door. "And don't show your sorry aft 'ere again!" The door slammed shut and Ironhide rubbed his helm.

"I've gotta let up on the high-grade," Ironhide mumbled. He climbed to his pedes before walking with a sway down the street.

By the time that Ironhide had gotten home, his processor was pounding to the point that it felt like it wanted to burst from his helm. He removed the few items he had in his subspace and dropped them on the table without looking at them. The light flickered on at his movements and he gave a hiss of pain. Stumbling forwards, he caught the edge of the light with the side of his servo on the light dimmed enough that he could open his optics slightly and dimmed it further so he could actually see.

Ironhide's home was small with a single berthroom, the room his was in now that served as both the refueling area and the greeting room, and another that he used for storing his weapons. The walls were bare and there was Energon slipped in several areas on the ground of the main room. Whatever data-pads he had were missing from the shelves that were set up in the corner. Cloths for polishing his weapons were dropped when he was finished with them. And he only had enough seating for himself, and even those looked like they should've been in a scrapyard rather than a housing unit. But he was fine with his home. After all, he only needed to be there when he was off work and kicked out of the bar. Which was every couple of jours. In a deca-cycle he'd be welcomed back. The silver mech was a friend of his by the name of Quicksnap.

When Quicksnap wasn't at the bar, he was a good mech. He'd stick up for his friends and was good with younglings. Ironhide was often invited over to Quicksnap's place for a visit. Despite his name, Quicksnap was rather patient. Much more patient than ole Ironhide, that's for sure. He and Ironhide had grown close, but Quicksnap didn't apprieciate Ironhide manners when he was over-energized, and so the silver mech threw Ironhide out a lot. After he'd been given time to cool off, Quicksnap always welcomed Ironhide back to the bar and they'd sit and talk. There were never any hurt feelings, and Snap always made sure that Ironhide didn't have enough Energon to really be in any true danger walking home. He couldn't do that to a friend.

Ironhide shoved the sole chair out of his way before heading to his room. He needed the rest. Just as he was laying down, he heard someone pass by the low window in his room talking in hushed tones. What was said however, was alarming and enough to make Ironhide's helm clear.

"He's a runt. Too small to be anythin' worth keepin' on-line. The slaggin' femme I called my sparkmate wanted the thing, and I ain't 'bout ta get 'er mad. He ain't healthy, and we can't keep 'im alive. Not that I care," the first voice spat.

"So you're just leavin' him 'ere?" The second questioned. There was a short spark-less laugh from the first before any more words were spoken.

"Course! I don't need the femme sobbin' 'bout the little thing. I told her I was gonna find 'im some poor bot ta take 'im. She cried as I took 'im away. She didn't even notice that I was lyin'."

"Never was the brightest femme, was she?" They both laughed at this femme before there was the clang of something meeting the metal of the ground and the voices faded.

Once they were fully gone, Ironhide got up and went to see what the two mechs had left behind.

It was a box, silver in colour, and very plain. It wasn't that big, but when Ironhide picked it up it was heavier than he expected. He took it back inside his house before he dared to open it. When he did his optics went wide in shock.


	2. Little Sparkling

Nestled inside the silver box was a small youngling. Even though Ironhide wasn't a medic, he knew that a youngling shouldn't be so small. The paint of the tiny mech was caked in dried Energon to the point that Ironhide knew he'd been beaten and each time never had his wounds cleaned. Ironhide couldn't even tell what colour the youngling was.

**::Ironhide to Quicksnap::**

**::Ironhide? Why the frag are you callin' me now?:: **Quicksnap

**::I need you to come to my housing unit. Now. I have something I want to show you:: **Ironhide

**::Fine. I'm on my way. Quicksnap out::**

The comm-link line shut and Ironhide went back to looking at the fragile youngling curled up in a box. He went to touch the tiny frame, but instead stood to find a clean cloth. Once he found one he sat down again before pulling the box close. He covered his servo with the blanket and gently slipped his servo in behind the youngling and ever so carefully pullled the tiny bot into the cloth. Once that was finished he picked up the bundle and placed it in the crook of his arm. The little one finally stirred and his optics flickered to life.

Ironhide had read somewhere that a sparkling's optics take on the colour of their guardian and a bond forms. The colour of them when they didn't have a gardian was usually a gold, so when pure white optics met his he could help but gape.

The white optics widened at the sight of Ironhide and he struggled to get free. "Easy. Easy, little one. I ain't gonna hurt ya," Ironhide cooed. The struggling died down enough that Ironhide could get a better hold on the young thing again. "I could never hurt ya." He grabbed another cloth before wetting it and gently wiping some of the Energon away from the youngling's face. He chirped in displeasure. Ironhide laughed but stopped when the white optics looked at him in confusion. He went back to simply washing the youngling. "You're blue. An' silver," Ironhide mumbled to himself. He moved the cloth and rubbed the armour of the youngling's chest. "Oh. An' red. Colourful lil fella, ain't ya?" The youngling jump badly when the chime sounded to let Ironhide know someone was at the door. He rubbed circles on the youngling's back.

"Hide? Open the door! You wanted me here," Quicksnap shouted. Ironhide padded over to the door and opened it.

"Shut you're mouth plates, Snap. You're scarin' him," Ironhide snapped. He moved his arm enough to show Quicksnap the youngling that was still trembling against Ironhide's chassis. Delight and suprise filled Quicksnap's optics as he inspected the tiny mech who'd snapped his white optics closed before Snap could see the colour of them.

"Amazing. He's so small. And damaged. We should take him to see a medic. I heard there was one nearby here that's really good. I'll even pay," Quicksnap offered. Ironhide nodded. "Where'd ya find him?"

"Some mechs just left him outside," Ironhide replied. He didn't feel like repeating what those mechs had said anytime soon.

"It's gettin' late. We should get goin' if we wanna get him seen," Quicksnap said. Ironhide left the housing unit with Snap shutting and locking the door behind them.

Ironhide was so focused on the shaking form in his arms as they walked, that he didn't notice that they'd arrived at the Medical center until he recieved a tap on the shoulder. Ironhide glanced at the slightly taller silver mech before walking inside.

The first room of the Med center was an office with a small pink and red femme sitting at the desk. The rows of data-pads behind were organized by name. The walls had charts and there was a small metal flower on the femme's desk. Nothing seemed out of place which Ironhide took to be a good sign.

"May I help you?" The femme brightly asked. Quicksnap stepped forward and explained that he had a youngling that needed medical attention. The femme gave a kind smile to both mechs as she stood before leaving the room and returning in a few moments. "The head medic Ratchet will be with you momentarily." She took her seat back at the desk and Quicksnap took one of the chairs that lined the wall nearby.

"Sit down Ironhide," Quicksnap called. Ironhide complied. He felt the metal of the youngling's helm. He smiled and the youngling tried to copy Ironhide and earned a soft chuckle for Quicksnap. "He really seems to like you, Hide. I think you should keep him."

"Really? Never thought you of all bots would want me to have a sparkling," Ironhide joked. The young femme stood again, this time slowly walking over.

"May I see the youngling? Please?" She asked softly. Ironhide pulled the blanket down enough to reveal the youngling's helm to the femme. A smile bloomed on her faceplates. "Thank you." She hurried back to her seat and went back to work, glancing up from time to time. The door that led to where the medics made repairs slid open and the femme shot to her pedes.

The medic that stepped out was coloured with the normal medic design complete with the crosses on both shoulders. For Ironhide, it was almost like looking in a mirror for how close their frames were similar in design. "Next," the medic called. The femme handed him a data-pad that was in a pile marked empty.

"Ratchet, this is Ironhide and Quicksnap. Ironhide has the injured youngling, sir," the femme introduced them. The medic, Ratchet, nodded.

"I need the youngling. Ironhide, you can come with me. But only you," Ratchet said. Ironhide stood and followed Ratchet, the medic actually held the door open for the red mech. "What's the youngling's name?"

"Don't know."

"Age?"

"Don't know. I found him when he was abandoned in a box outside my house. His parents just dumped him," Ironhide said. Ratchet took the youngling from Ironhide. Once the youngling exchanged servos, he began to panic. Ironhide rubbed circles on the back armour of the youngling and he started to settle. He was layed down and Ratchet took a fresh cloth out and put a cleaning agent on it. He rubbed away the Energon and grime before tossing the cloth to the counter. He picked up a scanner before waving it slowly over the youngling's trembling frame.

"He's... two and a half vorns old. Not a youngling at all, but a sparkling," Ratchet mumbled. He tried to coax the sparkling to open his optics, only for him to move his helm away.

"Here, let me," Ironhide said and Ratchet moved away. "Sparklet, open your optics for me." The sparkling did as Ironhide asked which earned a slight growl from Ratchet.

"He's not even bonded to his own creators yet. He'll be more trusting when he has a bond with a guardian then," Ratchet hissed. His optics met Ironhide's. "He seems to like you."

"I am the worst possible mech for the job! Trust me, you're dooming the thing to a horrible life," Ironhide stopped objecting when the sparkling reached out two tiny servos. "I can't say no to you, Sparklet."

Ratchet finished the repairs in silence, once or twice waiting for the sparkling to stop wailing, then wrapped him up in a blanket and handing him over to Ironhide. "He needs this," he held up a small tablet, "put in low-grade Energon whenever he gets hungry. Trust me, he'll let ya know when he's hungry. Oh, I found an engraving on his spark chamber in the scan."

"What did it say?"

"Optimus," Ratchet replied. Ironhide nodded, thanked the medic, and left after quickly filling out a few forms. "White optics... I've never seen that colour in a sparkling's optics before." Ratchet mumbled. He shook his helm as he jotted down what he'd seen.

Quicksnap was nearly hovering over Ironhide's shoulder as they walked back to Ironhide's. "Could... Could you back off? You're gonna scare him," Ironhide snapped. The silver mech dropped back a little but his optics remained on the tired white ones staring back. The sparkling hadn't shifted or made any sound since they'd left Ratchet's office. Irohide readjusted his grip on the sparkling before glaring over his shoulder. "Why is everybot starin' at him?"

"His optics... That's all. He's so quiet. Sparkling's aren't normally like this," Quicksnap replied. He gave Ironhide a bit more room. "Ironhide, I don't think you'll be that bad of a guardian. You'll protect him. I know that. He's in safe servos." He paused talking as Ironhide punched in the code and the door slid open for them to enter. As they did, Quicksnap couldn't help but add, "Although your housing unit needs work." He stepped back to avoid Ironhide's swing that never connected since the sparkling's sudden wail stopped Ironhide from following through.

"Easy, Optimus. It's alright," Ironhide cooed. The tiny blue helm rubbed against his metal as the sparkling tried to keep the mechs from fighting.

"Optimus?"

"Yeah. That's his name," Ironhide informed. Quicksnap gave a smile and nod as little Optimus was pushed into his servos for Ironhide to retrieve a couple of Energon cubes. "Wanna stay for a bit?"

"Nah. It's gettin' late. I'm heading back to the bar to close up 'fore headin' home. Good luck with Optimus," Quicksnap replied as Ironhide took Optimus back into his arms.

"See ya," Ironhide said. With a wave, Quicksnap left. Ironhide glanced down at the tired sparkling he was holding. He reached his spark out and gently Optimus' grabbed onto his. The feeling of the mingling fields in a way that only guardians and their charges were capable of was refreshing, sweet, and innocent all at the same time. A content feeling trickled over the new bond as the sparkling's optics dimmed before shutting off in recharge. Ironhide put the cube down on the table and heading to his room. That had been his destination before he'd heard those mechs talking. The tired feeling returned in a harsh wave. He realized that tonight Optimus would have to spend the night in Ironhide's berth since the red mech didn't own a crib. Tomorrow he'd have to get one. He wasn't planning on giving Optimus up.


	3. Medic

The following morning Ironhide was woken up by tiny servos pushing on his chest plates. He forced his optics on-line and was greeted by Optimus staring down at him. The sparkling's optics were a much lighter blue, but no longer white. Over the bond Ironhide could feel Optimus' happiness at having gotten hs guardian up. Optimus gave a startled squeak as Ironhide sat up, making the red and blue sparkling slide down Ironhde's chest plate and land on Ironhide's arm. Optimus' optics were wide with delight as he let off strings of sparkling talk at Ironhide who laughed. He stood and headed into the main room. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was because of Optimus, the unsightlyness of his home suddenly was disgusting. He sighed knowing that the state his home was in would have to change if a sparkling was to stay there. And there wasn't a choice any more. Optimus was staying. No matter what anyone said.

Ironhide retrieved a low-grade cube and realized that he really didn't have the supplies he needed to take care of Optimus. Like a bottle or a crib. He mentally swore. He quickly commed Quicksnap, asking him to get a bottle for Optimus. The silver mech was more than glad to get one. Now all Ironhide had to do was wait for Quicksnap to arrive. Optimus didn't seem to mind as he investigated the medal of Ironhide's chest. Tiny blue servos felt the seams between the plates. Ironhide sat down at the table and glanced around the room. What did he have that a sparkling could safely play with? His thoughts then turned to the fact that sitting in the next room, lacking the important locks that keep younglings of of them, were all of his guns. And Optimus was already proving to be very curious. Oh, Ironhide had a lot of work to do. He put Optimus down and stood, earning upset chirps, and began to gather all the rags. The door chime went off and Optimus jumped. Ironhide chuckled as he scooped the sparklng into his arms. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Took you long enough," Ironhide joked. He stepped out of the way so Quicksnap could enter.

"Do you know how hard it is to find a single bottle?" Quicksnap asked. Ironhide shrugged. "Oh, and I ran into that medic. He's the one gave me that bottle for the sparkling. He said if you ever need anything, to visit him." Ironhide grinned.

"Good. 'Cause this place needs work," Ironhide said.

Optimus watched Quicksnap in silence. He remained frozen in his guardian's arms. Ironhide rubbed Optimus' chest plates and sent reassurance over the bond. This time Ironhide simply motioned for Quicksnap to take a seat and Ironhide grabbed the low-grade he'd gotten for Optimus earlier as well as two regular cubes before taking a seat at the table. He let Optimus slide into his lap. He poured about half of the Energon into the bottle, placed the tablet in the Energon, and watched it dissolve. Retaking Optimus back into his arms, he lowered the bottle into Optimus' mouth. The sparkling pulled away at first, which startled Ironhide, before sucking lightly on the bottle's tip. He didn't try any harder than that to get Energon into his systems.

"Oh. I got this for him," Quicksnap said. Ironhide didn't even look up. The silver mech dug into his sub space for a little bit then pulled out what looked like a rattle with the bottom curling into a spiral. He handed it over to Ironhide. Optimus reached out for it with a soft chirp. Ironhide held it closer and watched small blue servos grab onto it. He let it go and Optimus began to shake it. This earned another round of whistles and chirps in delight.

"Thanks," Ironhide said. Quicksnap gave a nod.

"Let's go see that medic again. Maybe he has something he can give ya for Optimus," Quicksnap suggested.

The femme they'd seen during their previous visit was sitting at the desk when they arrived. "Good morning," she called brightly. Ironhide nodded to her.

"Ironhide, I got a call from a mech at the bar. I'll see ya later," Quicksnap said. Ironhide waved as the silver mech turned and left. His attention quickly returned to the young femme who was watching little Optimus as he turned to try to get a better look at her.

"Would you like to see Ratchet?" She asked.

"Yeah. If I can," Ironhide replied. The femme instantly got up and hurried through the door. She returned with Ratchet at her heels.

"Good morning. Right this way," Ratchet said. Ironhide followed the medic into the same room as last time. "How is he?"

"Better. He's been clicking a lot this morning. He almost didn't want any Energon though," Ironhide replied. Both mechs watched as Optimus actually reached out for Ratchet's servo when the medic reached out for the datapad that was on the table beside Ironhide. After asking permission from Ironhide with his optics alone, Ratchet took Optimus who chirped happily. "That's new." Optimus rubbed his servos gently against Ratchet's chest. Ratchet gave him a smile.

"So you're his guardian now?" Ratchet asked. Ironhide nodded. "Good. Then no one can take him away from you." Ironhide looked alarmed.

"Would they do that?"

"Yeah. They've done it before," Ratchet replied. The red mech sighed. "What brought you here today?" Ironhide snapped his optics to meet Ratchet's.

"Last night I realized that I'm... not ready to raise a sparkling. At least... my place isn't," Ironhide said. Ratchet chuckled softly.

"Why don't we see what I can do to help you out? Starting with seeing how bad you house really is," Ratchet suggested. Ironhide just gave him an unsure glance. Once Optimus was back in his arms, they set off to Ironhide's house.

"Here?" Ratchet asked. Ironhide gave a quick nod. Ratchet looked around the inside. He noted the old Energon stains, the rags that still remain, the horrible state of the furniture. He sighed. "Anything else?" Ironhide stepped past him and opened both of the other doors to reveal the rooms. Ratchet groaned at the fact that Ironhide had guns lining the wall of one room. That was anything but safe for a sparkling. Next he inspected Ironhide's berthroom. The berth was unmade, but clean. There were few stains in this room, thankfully. And only signs of one bot, not more. There was a stack of data-pads, that looked like it would fall at any moment, on the desk. Said desk didn't even have a chair at it. Ratchet sighed. He would have a lot of work to do to make sure Optimus wouldn't meet his end because of where he lived. "Does that door have a lock?"

"No. But I don't leave it open for Optimus to get into," Ironhide replied. There was another sigh and nod from Ratchet.

"If you cleared that room out, you could turn it into a berthroom for Optimus when he gets a bit older," Ratchet said. Ironhide thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Another suggestion might be moving."

"Moving? I can't afford to move! I can barely afford to live here!" Ironhide exclaimed. Ratchet put his servos up in surrender.

"I can provide a place for you for now," Ratchet offered. "It's close to the medical center I work at, and has two larger rooms, the main one, and a smaller one."

"Why are you helping us in the first place?" Ironhide asked. Ratchet stared at the floor as he thought of what to say. Slowly he pointed to Optimus who was still quiet.

"I feel pulled to him. I don't know why. And is it so bad to want to help?"

"No. It's just that you don't know us. Not that well."

"Do you want the place or not?" Ratchet finally asked in an attempt to change the topic. Ironhide's optics narrowed at the medic's tone. Optimus gave a squeak and any harsh feeling evaporated in moments. He reached out towards Ratchet's red servo. He was gently handed over. "Sorry," Ratchet mumbled. Ironhide smirked and waved him off.

"Any place is better than this dump. When can we move?" Ironhide asked. He was starting to trust Ratchet since Optimus, who was silent when anyone but Ironhide was around, was very comfortable around the medic.

"Tomorrow if you want," Ratchet replied. Optimus placed his helm against Ratchet's chest.


	4. Packing

Right after Ratchet left, Ironhide had started the task of packing up his belongings so that the move would actually be possible. However, a certain sparkling kept interfering. "No. That's not yours," Ironhide corrected for what felt like the 50th time. "Optimus! Please! Stop it." He gently pulled the tool from Optimus' little servos. Every time the red mech moved a tool away, Optimus would go after another one. Sometimes it was a data-pad. Others it was a wrench or a rag. Anything that Optimus could grab onto. And it was driving Ironhide crazy.

A light growl left his vocalizer as Optimus started to crawl away from where Ironhide had placed him. Again. He scooped the sparkling into his arms before spinning once. He earned a round of sparkling talk which made the rough red mech smile. When Optimus settled again, Ironhide placed him back on the berth. He gave Optimus a clean rag in hope that the rag would keep Optimus happy long enough for Ironhide to finish packing up the assorted items he stored in his room. Thankfully, the rag turned out to be enough, and by the time Optimus lost interest in it, Ironhide had finished.

Ironhide then turned his attention to Optimus. He played with his sparkling until the little one fell into recharge. A sight that Ironhide couldn't help but smile at. He left Optimus on his berth and headed into the next room, his gun room. He took them all down, cleaned them, and packed them away in their cases.

There was a sound from his quarters, and Ironhide turned at it. He found Optimus half hanging over the edge of the berth, staring down at the ground. Ironhide was on his pedes in moments, and once within reach, he picked Optimus up. The sparkling snuggled into Ironhide, staring up at his guardian with innocent optics. Ironhide rolled his own optics and headed back into the main room.

Ironhide grabbed a cube of Energon before taking a seat at the table. He watched Optimus reach out for the bottom tip of it but had to pull it away so that the sparkling didn't break the seal and dump thee liquid all over himself. The sparkling gave a slight whine, but besides that made no fuss.

The top seal was torn off carefully by Ironhide and the red mech guzzled it quickly. It was getting late, and he wanted to get Optimus to recharge since they had a long day ahead of them. He would be lucky if his sparkling got any recharge at all. And that meant that the red mech would get little recharge either. But he would try.

Optimus began to squirm in Ironhide's arms, barely making any sounds. The red mech sighed as he stood. He absently started rubbing small circles on the sparkling's back. The door to his berthroom slid open, and he stepped inside, allowing it to shut behind him. He carefully settled himself on the berth, Optimus tucked neatly against his side.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ratchet ducked to avoid a piece of the roof that was barely hanging on. He brushed aside the wires that swung forward to nearly hit him in the face. His optics were focused on the ground to avoid tripping over the metal from what had once been a door. "Remind me again why you work here," Ratchet called. The sound of coughing met his audios for a moment before a voice as well as static replaced it.<p>

"I come up with better ways of treating patients?" The other mech half asked. Ratchet would've given him a glare if it wasn't for the fact that he tripped, landing on his faceplates.

"Yeah, well, you might need a better reason than that," the medic hissed. He felt a servo brush against his shoulder before he was hauled to his pedes.

"Sorry. I just got a little carried away."

"Be careful, 'Jack. I don't wanna put you back together again after a failed experiment. I wanted to talk to you anyways," Ratchet said.

"Oh? About?"

"Sparks. And pulls," Ratchet replied. Wheeljack nodded and lead Ratchet to a less destroyed part of the building.

"What about sparks and pulls? I thought you knew more about such things than any other bot on Cybertron," Wheeljack asked. Ratchet sighed.

"I can't boast that. Besides, the question I have has to do with me. Did you see the two mechs that came in with a sparkling?"

"No. Sorry, I didn't."

"He'll be here later today anyways. Back on topic, when I held him to check his health, I felt a strange pull to him. I can't explain it. And I'm hoping you can tell me what it was," Ratchet stated. Wheeljack took a moment to think.

"A guardian bond maybe?"

"Can't be. The red mech that brought the sparkling already has that bond," Ratchet replied. Wheeljack walked over to his desk and searched through what was inside the top drawer. Finding a certain data-pad, he tossed it over to Ratchet.

"Primes can have guardian bonds with two unbonded mechs. But even that's rare," Wheeljack reminded his superior. Ratchet gaped for a moment at the fact that he hadn't thought of that. But then again, he hadn't expected the tiny mech to have been a sparkling that had his name already engraved in his spark chamber. With a sigh, Ratchet nodded, thanked Wheeljack, and then headed back through the destroyed hallway. He had to meet again with Ironhide anyways. And finish clearing out his own house for the guardian and charge to move into.

Ironhide stopped just outside of the Med center. He hadn't expected to find a section of it destroyed with smoke still leaving it. Optimus was trembling against the red metal of his guardian's chest. Very carefully, Ironhide stepped over a rather thick piece of metal that was practically blocking the doorway. Once inside, he noticed that the hallway to his left was the most destroyed, while very little damage affected the rest of the building. The same little femme was cleaning the front room from things like data-pads which had fallen as a result of whatever damaged the left hallway in the first place. "Ironhide!" Ratchet's voice made the red mech jump. Ironhide turned to face Ratchet.

"What happened here?" Ironhide asked. He gently tightened his grip on Optimus who was reaching out frantically for the medic. "What happened to you?"

"One of the other bots who work here is an inventor. He just has a habit of getting in over his helm and blowing up his lab and part of the Med center with it," Ratchet replied. He looked down at his armor to find that he was just covered in a thick layer of tiny metal shavings. "I went to check if he was still functioning."

"Need any help cleanin' it up?" Ironhide asked.

"You need to move first. Follow me. Elita, we'll be back soon," Ratchet said. The pink femme nodded. "Ironhide, follow me." Ratchet lead Ironhide away from the Med center.


	5. Moved In

Optimus whined and whimpered as he struggled against Ironhide's grip. He reached out towards Ratchet despite the fact that Ironhide wouldn't let him go. "No, little one. He's all dirty and I don't feel like cleaning you up after you get covered in grime," Ironhide said. Optimus actually began to cry and refused to settle down. "Optimus, sparklet. Please calm down."

"Rrr!" Optimus growled. "Rraaa!" To the two mature mechs, it sounded like the sparkling was trying to say Ratchet. Ironhide dug into his sub-space until the tips of his fingers brushed against a cloth that he didn't know he had. He pulled it out and used it to wrap it around Optimus' tiny frame before handing his sparkling over to the medic. The smile the medic wore warmed Ironhide's spark and made the red mech glad that he had actually brought a cloth.

Ironhide led them to his house and Ratchet handed Optimus back before he transformed allowing Ironhide to load him up with his things. Ironhide placed Optimus in front of the medic's alt mode and the sparkling felt the front of the Cybertronian vehicle. Ratchet revved his engine earning a squeal of cheerful laughter. The red and blue sparkling grabbed onto Ratchet and pulled himself to his pedes. "Ironhide!" Ratchet called. Ironhide walked over in time to see Optimus take a few steps away from Ratchet. Ironhide knelt down, calling out his sparkling's name. Optimus slowly turned and made his way over to Ironhide. He was scooped up and Ironhide spun on his heel, ripping a stream of laughter from Optimus.

"Amazing!" Ironhide laughed. He nuzzled Optimus for a few moments. Tiny blue servos lightly gripped Ironhide's shoulder. "That's my sparkling." He gently placed Optimus inside of Ratchet before transforming himself.

* * *

><p>Ratchet lead Ironhide to his own house. The red mech transformed quickly, opening Ratchet's door and scooping Optimus into his arms once he regained his true form. The sparkling squirmed until Ironhide was forced to put him down.<p>

"If you unload me, I'll show you around," Ratchet said. It didn't take long for Ratchet to be completely unloaded, and able to transform. As soon as he could, Ratchet gently took Optimus and headed inside. Ironhide followed quickly, looking around and taking in his surroundings. He jumped when Ratchet spoke again. "Sorry. I'm still moving the last few things out."

"Wait. Is this your house?" Ironhide asked suddenly. Ratchet gave him a quick look, but refused to say anything. "Where are you staying then?"

"The Med center."

"The Med center? You're giving up your house for me and Optimus?" Ironhide asked in suprise. The medic gave a reluctant nod. "No. Either you stay here, or we find a way to make my place work. You hear me?"

"I hear you, but-"

"Yes or no? Will you stay?"

"I'm curious. Why do you even trust me? You don't know me," Ratchet stated. Ironhide froze for a few moments, Ratchet's words echoing through his processor. But the answer to the medic's question was in Ratchet's own arms.

"I trust you, because he does," Ironhide said, raising a servo and pointing to the form that was one hundred percent relaxed in the presence of both mechs. "But you didn't answer my question. Will you stay?"

"Yes," Ratchet replied.

From then on, silence was the ony thing that remained constant until Ironhide and Optimus were comfortably moved in. Afterwards, Ratchet left to see how far the repairs had gotten on the center while Ironhide got used to his new home.

Ratchet's house was much larger than Ironhide's old one. There was the main room, complete with an Energon dispenser, and a table with four matching chairs. On the wall that was opposite the door were shelves of data-pads. They were organized, with basic engravings on the sides that showed what each one contained. Near the shelves was a doorway without a door that lead into the hallway. On the left was a large empty room, Ironhide's, as well as another slightly smaller empty one. Ratchet planned on giving that room to Optimus when the Sparkling grew up a little bit. On the right, across from Ironhide's room, was Ratchet's. Next to his room was a storage closet. Where Ironhide's guns were safely locked away and Ratchet's tools were kept. The walls of every part of the house were still a shimmering gold, without a stain in sight. And Ironhide would be lying if he said he wasn't thankful for Ratchet's invitation to leave his old house. At least here, Optimus would be much, much safer.

**::Where are you?:: **Quicksnap

Ironhide swore when his comm-link went off. His optics flew to where Optimus was napping on his first guardian's berth.

**::With Optimus. At my new house:: **Ironhide

**::New house?::** Quicksnap

**::Yeah, new house. I'm moving in with the medic:: **Ironhide

**::Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, 'Hide. I don't think that's a good idea:: **Quicksnap

**::I think it is. When Ratchet gets back, I'll meet you at the bar. I'll explain it to you then. Ironhide out::**

Ironhide shut off his comm with a heavy sigh. Honestly, he wasn't fully sure that he should trust Ratchet at all. But something about Ratchet made Optimus trust him. And Optimus was barely willing to do more than stare at anyone else. Which lead to Ironhide trusting the white mech. Was that enough of a reason to fully trust someone? Suddenly very unsure of his choice, Ironhide sat down near Optimus' helm on the berth.

While his mind returned to thinking about what possible twists could change his already altered life, he absently began to stroke Optimus' back. He found the tiny dents and scratchs that ranged from only passing the surface to deep slashes that would leave scars. Anger began to boil his Energon, as it always did when he thought about someone injuring such a tiny mech, that he had to force back. His touch though, was gentle, loving as he sat there. He lost track of time to the point that when Ratchet came home, he was suprised that it was dark out.

Optimus stretched, accidentally knocking his servos off Ironhide, and looked around. Moments afterwards, Ironhide heard metal pedes meeting the metal floor. "Ironhide?" Ratchet called.

"In here," Ironhide responded, pulling Optimus into his arms. Ratchet appeared in the doorway, this time however, his armour was sparkling instead of covered in metal shavings.

"Sorry, but the other medics needed help clearing the rest of the damage," Ratchet said. He remained in the doorway rather than entering.

"Could you watch Optimus for a bit? I need to go talk to the mech that you saw with me before," Ironhide asked. Ratchet nodded, and Optimus was put in his arms before Ironhide walked past him.

He focused on the retreating mech's back when he felt the now familiar tug on his spark. It was as if someone had grabbed onto his spark and was pulling on it, not hard enough to hurt, whenever Optimus was near. As much as he would hate to admit it, the tugging was getting harder, more urgent, as time went on. And it was starting to bother him.

"What are your secrets?" Ratchet asked softly to no one in particular.


	6. Angered

Quicksnap's bar was bustling with activity when Ironhide pushed the door open. A mech, short, thin, and purple in colour gave him a suprised look before turning his optics to a data-pad. "Quicksnap invited me back himself, runt. If ya don't believe me, ask 'im yourself," Ironhide roughly snapped. He passed the mech without another word. He looked over the full tables, drunk mechs, giggling femmes, and spilled drinks until he caught sight of the shining silver armour Quicksnap wore. He was behind a counter, speaking with a black mech that was shorter than Ironhide when the red mech walked up.

"'Hide. Good to see that you showed up," Quicksnap called to him. The normal cheery tone was on the dull side, lacking its happiness.

"What, expected me to quake like a sparkling facing Unicron? Like slag I would," Ironhide responded. Quicksnap grinned, pouring high grade from a tall, thin, curved container into two cubes. He offered one to Ironhide as soon as the mech was seated on the empty stool.

"No, but I thought you'd be taking care of one," Quicksnap said easily with a shrug. Ironhide gave his friend a cool glare and took a swig from the cube.

"I left him in good servos, 'Snap. I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were," Quicksnap objected immediately. Ironhide huffed. "I just think you're makin' a mistake. One that'll cost that sparklin' as well." A mech down the counter looked at them in confusion, but Ironhide waved him off.

"I'm not making a mistake, 'Snap," Ironhide responded. Quicksnap gave him a look that Ironhide couldn't read.

"You're not making a mistake. Such a fragging lie. You're making one by allowing some random medic have access to your sparkling every klick of every jour!" Quicksnap yelled. Ironhide frowned. This wasn't like Quicksnap at all. The red mech looked around when the bar fell as silent as it could. Most of the bots were staring at him and Quicksnap for the random outburst. Many of them were watching Ironhide in confusion.

"Quicksnap, calm down. I'll explain once you're not gonna attack someone just 'cause they said somethin' wrong," Ironhide said. He then turned to the others in the bar. "What the frag are you looking at? Slag off!" About a nano-klick later, the bar went back to its usual volume. Ironhide faced Quicksnap again. The silver mech pulled up one of the stools on his side of the counter and sat down directly in front of Ironhide.

"Then explain it to me," Quicksnap growled. Ironhide narrowed his optics.

"The sparkling's spark is at ease when both Ratchet and I are with 'im. When Ratchet's not around, Optimus feels kinda nervous, or uneasy. Then only I can calm 'im down," Ironhide responded. Quicksnap still looked less than convinced. "Look. Ratchet's a medic. In a good center that saves a lot of lives. An' that means he knows how to watch a sparkling. Optimus isn't a trusting sparkling. He doesn't even trust you. But Ratchet... Optimus likes, and trusts, that medic. And I do too."

"So the sparkling decides who's good?" Quicksnap asked. Ironhide made a sound of frustration.

"Quicksnap. Give it a rest. Ratchet's a good bot. And I'm not just gonna go back to my place where Optimus can easily get himself killed. Ratchet's not sloppy. If you have a problem, deal with it. I'm not changing what's going on just 'cause your worried," Ironhide snapped. He stood so quickly the stool he'd been seated on clattered to the ground. He threw a few credits onto the counter and stormed from the building.

Feelings of fear trickled into Ironhide's spark and for an astro-second he was confused. As soon as he figured out what the feeling was, he forced himself to calm down and send love over the bond that had slipped his mind. It was enough to clear his thoughts to the point that returning to Ratchet's house sounded like the best thing on Cybertron. Any other plans were forgotten as he headed in the direction his spark pulled him. Right towards his sparkling.

* * *

><p>"Where were you?" The question was sudden and unexpected. It caught Ironhide off guard and he was left speechless. Ratchet was seated in the main room with a cube of Energon on the table in front of him.<p>

"Why does it matter?" Ironhide asked as he approached the table. He looked around to see if Optimus was in the room. He wasn't.

"He's recharging in the crib in his room. Don't worry. I wanted to ask what you were planning on doing before you left. I just didn't get a chance," Ratchet replied. Ironhide stiffly nodded. Ratchet offered the cube on the table. "I haven't touched it. I poured myself one earlier." Ironhide took a seat across from Ratchet with a sigh.

"I was at my friend's bar. I'm not plannin' on goin' back. Not with Optimus in my life. Or you for that matter. Remember Quicksnap?"

"The silver mech that came with you to the center with Optimus in the first place?"

"Yeah, that's Quicksnap. He's worried about me trustin' you. I tried tellin' him there's nothing to worry about."

"I can understand your friend's feelings though."

"Ratchet, I trust you. Don't push it. The sparkling trusts you, so I do too. Prove me wrong, I'll crush you myself," Ironhide growled. Ratchet opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it. He leaned back in his chair and observed the mech before him. There were no signs of a lie in Ironhide, at all.

"I wanted to talk to you anyways. I believe Optimus is a Prime," Ratchet said. Ironhide stared at him in confusion. "Normal sparklings that have don't have a bond with their creators are able to take one bond with a bot. Not two different bots. But Optimus can have two bonds. The one with you, and the one that's trying to form with me."

Silence filled the room for a little while. Ironhide studied Ratchet while the medic met his gaze. "How long has he been tryin' to form a bond with you?"

"Since you first brought him to me at the Med center. He's getting more insistant. I didn't want to give in if you'd have problems with it. We all know sparklings need their guardians arguing," Ratchet stated; ending in sheer sarcasm. He pushed away from the table and stood. "Whatever you were doing, you had him freaked out. He just stopped crying when you came in." Ironhide was left alone as Ratchet headed to his room and the door slid shut. The red mech leaned back and grabbed the cube. He tore open the seal and downed it quickly. His helm was pounding like one of the concerts Jazz had taken him to once. He then stood and trudged down the hall to the room that Ratchet had given the sparkling. He opened the door and entered quietly. As soon as he was at the side of the crib he reached into it and picked up the sparkling. He cradled the tiny mech against his chassis. The optics staring up at him were frightened but tired.

"Optimus," Ironhide whispered. He stood there, just holding his adopted son, until the sparkling slipped into recharge.


	7. Younglings

"No!" Little Optimus shouted as he fought Ironhide. "No!"

"Come on, Sparklet, stop fightin' me," Ironhide half growled. He put the Energon bottle down and sighed, annoyed with Optimus' lack of cooperation.

"Just give him here," Ratchet said as he entered the room having been in his quarters trying to get some work done. Ironhide and Optimus had moved in a few orns ago, and as much as Ratchet loved the sparkling, trying to work on datapads around him was a waste of time. He smiled down at the tiny mech when he was transferred to the medic's arms.

"Takin' him with ya today?" Ironhide asked wearily. He rubbed his optics and muffled a yawn having been forced to stay awake when Optimus woke up screaming from a nightmare. Both of the older mechs had to work and had been taking turns bringing Optimus with them. Ratchet nodded after a moment.

"Wheeljack may have to watch him though. I have a patient that needs their left knee-joint replaced, and I don't feel like scarring Optimus for the rest of his life," he said. The red mech scoffed and drank the Energon that remained in his cube, stood, stroked Optimus' helm gently, and left without another word. Ratchet just rolled his optics with a sigh. "What do you think, Optimus? Worth your time?" Optimus giggled and smiled, earning a chuckle from Ratchet.

Grabbing the few reports in his quarters and something for Optimus to play with, Ratchet left his housing unit. Optimus leaned into his second guardian's hold and chirped up at him with an innocent giggle. Optimus was a quiet sparkling, as both Ratchet and Ironhide had leaned, and so they enjoyed any happy sound the little one made. Ratchet smiled down at Optimus and stroked the metal of his charge's arm. He certainly didn't regret offering his home to Ironhide and Optimus. Especially with the bond that had begun to form with Optimus.

The short walk to Ratchet's Med center was always one the medic enjoyed. The bots they passed would stop and smile, waving to Optimus who would smile happily or bury his face in Ratchet's side in a sudden burst of shyness. Those like the friendly femme Chromia, Elita's older sister, would always get Ratchet to stop and try to get Optimus made a sound. It never worked, but Optimus seemed to enjoy the gentle attention.

But thankfully the walk was uneventful each and every morning, allowing both mechs to simply enjoy each other's company. The only real event that happened was when Ratchet would open the door to the Med center.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Ratchet, sir!" Elita chirped in excitement, rushing to Ratchet's side. Every morning, on the ones where Optimus was with him, Ratchet would find the young femme eagerly waiting for him to arrive. And the only thing he would ever do is chuckle and nod. "May I hold Optimus, please?"<p>

"Just be careful," Ratchet said, gently lowering Optimus into Elita's reach. The youngling beamed up at the older mech and she gently cradled the fragile looking sparkling. Optimus chirruped happily and latched onto the femme's armour. He smiled, melting the sparks of the two bots watching him. "Wheeljack in yet?"

"I'm here!" Wheeljack's sudden call made both Optimus and Ratchet jump at the same time. He suddenly appeared in the doorway of his section of the Med center. There was a smile in his optics as he approached. "I'm here… And before you ask, I _did_ leave; I didn't stay long after you left. You have Optimus today?"

"Ironhide dealt with his nightmares, so yes. I'm hoping you're up to watching him," Ratchet responded. Wheeljack looked reluctant, shooting a worried glance at the newly repaired hallway which had been blocked off for a while, but nodded all the same.

"For you, Ratchet," Wheeljack mumbled, his meaning innocent. He gently pulled Optimus into his arms. The sparkling instantly whined and reached for Ratchet. The medic sighed and stroked Optimus' helm gently with a worry beginning to settle in his spark. He frowned slightly and simply moved behind the desk to file away the reports he'd finished. Elita looked up at Wheeljack with a frown.

"Need any help?" she asked Ratchet. He shook his helm.

"Not yet. Let me know if a patient arrives, I have work to do."

"Yes sir," Elita said. She watched Ratchet exchange the datapads then head into the hallway opposite Wheeljack's. No one worked near the inventor's lab. The only time a patient ever went near the lab was when they were escorted by Ratchet or one of the other medics they hired from time to time.

The Med center wasn't big staff wise, but they cared for as many patients as possible and were the best known staff in Iacon for how well they treated patients. Elita's presence was often frowned at, just because of her age, but no one reported her since she was sweet, kind and made sure each patient was taken care of. Not to mention that Ratchet would stand up for her instantly if someone disrespected her. The two mechs she worked with were never far from Elita's desk.

"I think we should keep an optic on him," Wheeljack said gently. Elita nodded. "I should get Optimus settled." Wheeljack gently patted Elita's shoulder before disappearing down his hallway to his lab.

Optimus whimpered from where he was partially over Wheeljack's shoulder. He reached back for his guardian as if afraid that the white and red mech would suddenly vanish, never to return. There was a fear in Optimus' spark that both Ironhide and Ratchet felt when they were out of his sight for long. They didn't understand why yet, but they were sure it had to do with the nightmares Optimus had every time he slipped into recharge.

"Rrraa…" Optimus called mournfully. Wheeljack kept a servo on the sparkling's back.

"He's just in the other room… Nothing's gonna happen to him, I promise. Ratch'll be fine. 'Lita wold tell us if something was wrong," he said, aware of the fact that Optimus probably couldn't understand what his words meant. It worked to make Optimus settle and look up at him, tears gathering in his optics.

"Racket," Optimus whined. It brought a smile to Wheeljack's optics and he recorded Optimus' attempt at Ratchet's name when he repeated it.

"Is fine… Come on, Optimus; let's find something for you to play with…"

* * *

><p>Elita was putting away the reports Ratchet had finished that night when the door to the center was thrown open, startling her. She turned to see a group of three younglings and a sparkling that was younger than Optimus stumble in.<p>

"Got an injured younglin' 'ere!" the oldest shouted, making Elita jump again. She moved to the other side of her desk and approached the younglings.

"What happened?" she asked. Her optics widened in surprise and horror when the injured mech looked up. His optics had been completely ripped out of helm. "Ratchet!" The medic appeared in the doorway.

"Can you help him please?" one of the youngling asked, a white and black mech with quivering doorwings. Ratchet nodded.

"I'll try. What's your name youngling?" he asked the injured one.

"He's Jazz," the oldest supplied.

"Bring him in. I'll see what I can do," Ratchet said. He held the door open as the black and white doorwinger led Jazz in.


	8. Optical Sensors

"_Ow_!" Jazz exclaimed for what like the hundreth time. Anger was beginning to well in Ratchet's spark but he said absolutely nothing as he reached for something to dull Jazz's pain somewhat. He needed the mech awake and aware to see if he could repair the optical sensors so Jazz could potentially regain sight.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to be as careful as I can. If you would only keep still, I wouldn't be causing you as much pain," Ratchet finally mumbled absently. He noticed something about the wounds that he hadn't before. It served to simply anger him and he was left gaping for a moment before a threatening growl left his vocalizer unbidden. He stood and the sound made Jazz tense in fear.

"Something wrong, doc?" he asked quietly. Ratchet paused to look at his young patient.

"I just need the help of another medic," he managed to say gently. Slowly Jazz relaxed and it allowed Ratchet to walk away without feeling too bad.

The nano-klick Ratchet walked out into the hallway, two younglings and a sparkling were staring up at him with expectant optics. He nearly took a step back at having his personal space so suddenly invaded.

"Is Jazz gonna be okay?" the oldest youngling asked. Ratchet just frowned down at him, questions already forming in his processor that he needed to have answered or risk going mad.

"Ratchet? Did you need something?" Elita interrupted, snapping the medic's attention to her.

"Yes. I need to speak with Wheeljack."

"But he has Optimus with him."

"You can handle a sparkling, can't you?" Elita instantly ran off into Wheeljack's wing to fetch the inventor while Ratchet turned back to the remaining younglings. "What are your designations?"

"My name is Prowl," the white and black doorwinger answered instantly. He nodded his helm in a show of respect before motioning to a similar painted sparkling with doorwings, "This is Bluestreak."

"An' I'm Smokescreen," the eldest doorwinger stated proudly. "But you didn't answer my question. Is Jazz gonna recover?"

"He should, yes. I just need to check something first," Ratchet replied. A rather worried Wheeljack walked up then. Without explaining a thing, Ratchet disappeared back into Jazz's room, dragging Wheeljack in after him. The door slid shut in the faces of the little younglings outside.

About a breem later, Jazz was sitting up, a blue visor gently being positioned over the optic-less sockets by skilled servos. Ratchet made a soft sound as the visor finally clicked into place, lighting up after a moment to give the impression of being used for sight. Jazz was currently blind, and for the time being Ratchet could do nothing about it. The youngling would have to get used to having a visor first before Ratchet started to get him adjusted to having sight again. Visors worked differently than regular optics and would give a different range of sight that would only serve to confuse Jazz at first. And so Ratchet had decided to at least hook up the visor in a way that would allow it to use some of Jazz's energy to keep it online so he would be used to that first before introducing sight into the situation. Ratchet leaned back to admire his handiwork, since visors were fiddly things, and Wheeljack gave a slight hum of approval.

"How do I look?" Jazz asked in a quiet teasing voice. He flinched slightly when one of the medics stroked his helm briefly, not expecting the sudden contact.

"What matters more," Ratchet began, "is the fact you'll recover your sight. The damage, while extreme, is repairable. For a while you'll have to come to the center so we can adjust it slowly to avoid overwhelming you. Do you understand?"

"I'll be blind for a while but I'll be able to see again eventually. Do I have to wear this? It's uncomfortable..." Jazz whined. The older mech chuckled making a smile once again grace Jazz's face.

"I will bring the others in while I go back to Elita and Optimus," Wheeljack said as he passed Ratchet and gave his coworker and boss a pat on the shoulder plate. Ratchet just nodded.

The door was opened and the two younglings and the sparkling rushed in to see Jazz while Wheeljack simply stepped over them. Prowl was instantly by Jazz's side, curiously gazing up at the youngling on the berth.

"Where do you four live?" Ratchet asked in the process dragging their attention to him.

"We, uh, don't," Smokescreen answered with a shrug.

"You... don't..." Ratchet started before he realized, his optics widening slightly. '_Oh no_' he thought to himself. He refused to look at them. If he did...

He glanced down to find all four of them looking up at him with pleading optics. '_Primus help me._'


End file.
